The circle that closes. Because on the Lungomare di Napoli, away with the PSV, Dries Mertens had fallen in love with Naples and then accepted the offer on the fly in the summer of 2013. A Gulf that the Belgian learned to enjoy in all its beauties, always choosing homes to Posillipo, the current one in the splendid Palazzo Donn'Anna. Today at the Hotel Vesuvio, right on that promenade, President Aurelio De Laurentiis and Mertens met for lunch to look each other in the eyes and understand if there is a desire to continue together.

HANDSHAKE - Because the negotiations with the agents agree, but after this strange year, among so many errors, there was the need to "sniff", to understand if certain, evident, sensational fractures could be recomposed. And that's a matter of relationships, not just money. De Laurentiis has convinced himself that Mertens still wants not only to stay at Napoli but to build something important. It ended with an important handshake. The economic aspects will then be addressed by managers and agents. Two-year contract with various bonuses. The will is to share together. It is the first real sign of thaw after four months of misunderstanding.